Reds place Manny Parra on DL, call up Dylan Axelrod

Cincinnati Reds relief pitcher Manny Parra (43) delivers a pitch in the seventh inning during the Major League Baseball game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Milwaukee Brewers, Saturday, July 4, 2015, at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. (Photo: The Enquirer/Kareem Elgazzar)

On Thursday, right-hander Dylan Axelrod was told he was moving from Louisville’s rotation to the bullpen. On Monday, was told to go to Cincinnati for left-hander Manny Parra, who went on the disabled list with a sprained left elbow.

“They told me that day that I was going to be the bullpen, there I was, I pitched that day, and now here I am,” Axelrod said before Monday’s game. “It’s kind of interesting. You have to transition a little bit physically, being able to turn it on or get ready quickly, but I kind of know how to do that from past experience.”

Axelrod will serves as the Reds’ long man, a familiar position for him. Axelrod, who turns 30 on July 30, served as a reliever in college, early in his minor-league career and also for two seasons with the White Sox.

“There’s not many times you let your guard down,” Axelrod said. “I’ve learned when to start warming up and anticipating when I need to. That’s what it is for me, anticipating when you might get in there.”

Axelrod is 6-6 with a 4.05 ERA in 18 games and 17 starts with Louisville this season. He pitched three innings in relief on Thursday against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, allowing a run on four hits. He was 2-1 with a 2.95 ERA in five games and four starts last season for the Reds.

“We’re comfortable with Dylan because he threw well for us last year,” Reds manager Bryan Price said. “He’s transitioning recently to the bullpen in Triple-A. He has some history in the bullpen, and that will help him get acclimated to come out and pump strikes.”

While Price said Parra’s injury was new to the injury report after his 1 2/3 innings on Sunday, Parra said he’d been having pain for a while.

“We always pitch through pain a little bit, so who knows how long it’s been going on? It wasn’t feeling too good (Sunday),” Parra said. “I would have liked to have been able to come in (Monday) and think it was going to feel a lot better, but it didn’t seem like that’s the way it was going to go.”

Parra threw 1 2/3 innings in Sunday’s loss to the Indians, walking in a run and allowing two hits. He threw a season-high 31 pitches in the outing.

It is Parra’s second trip to the disabled list after going on the DL in April with a neck injury.

Parra is a free agent at the end of the season and was a possible trade candidate as the non-waiver trade deadline approaches on July 31, but he could still be traded after the deadline on a waivers deal. Parra is 1-1 with a 4.00 ERA in 24 games this season. He’s in the second year of a two-year, $5.5 million deal.

Price said he expects Parra back after the 15 days, and Parra said he also expects to return soon.

“That’s the goal. You never know, I could be feeling good in three (days),” Parra said. “I’ll be working my butt off, doing what I’ve got to do.”